High power outlet?

[Dreman]

I want to use a high power converter inside the Trac to power my wife's asthma nebulizer, which turns her asthma medicine into a fog so she can breathe it in. I have a 400 watt converter that will barely power it, and a 700 watt converter that has power to spare, but either one will blow the 20 amp fuse in the cigarette lighter socket. Either one will work if clipped straight to the battery. Is there a way, short of hard wiring one of them in, to make a connector that will allow us to plug the converter in and allow her to use the machine while riding in the truck? I've looked at 12v nebulizers, but she prefers her house unit. And she isn't inclined to use the under-hood method herself.



The 400 watt converter will probably require at least 40 amps to power it fully, and the 700 watt will probably require 60 amps.

 

[EddieS'04]

my choice would to wire , #10 wire from the battey.

 

[Todd Z]

Can run wire to the battery and put in a separate plug in the truck for the inverter and you can remove it and unplug it as needed,...



Todd Z

 

[Dreman]

Will a separate cigarette lighter type plug handle 60 amps?

 

[Mark K 2]

Will a separate cigarette lighter type plug handle 60 amps?

Nope. I've done 20 amps with 12 gauge wire, but even then, it gets hot.

 

[Dreman]

I can run heavier wire, but will the socket handle the power?



Or maybe I should say...is there a cigarette lighter socket out there that will handle 60 amps, and is there a plug that will fit it that will handle that much power?

 

[Jacob Dryer]

Neither one of your inverters has the screw on connections?

Both of mine came with alligator clips and cigarette lighter wires.

Then I just use thumb screws to attach either setup.



If you want to hard wire it, just use ring terminals on larger gauge wire and done.

Might be something to look into, a new inverter isn't too much money, since I don't think any cigarette lighters will handle that many amps.

 

[Dreman]

Hard wire it is an option, but I was trying to find out if it's possible to use a cigarette lighter type plug to make it more portable. I guess not, though. An extra power point in the dash is a lot easier to find space for than a 120v converter!

 

[Jacob Dryer]

No to get high power you are going to have to hardwire, none of the factory wiring is thick enough to run that much through.



You could add some disconnects like these

so that you could remove it easily.

 

[Dreman]

Actually I assumed I would have to add new wiring. The question was would a standard cigarette lighter type plug be robust enough to handle the power coming through the new heavy wires. I take it from your connector suggestion that your response would be "no, you will have to use a heavier plug-in connector as well".

 

[Dreman]

As an additional question, what size wire will I have to use to handle 40 amps and 60 amps for the 10 to 15 feet it will require to get from the battery to the box or connector?

 

[Jacob Dryer]

I would run 4 gauge, based on info found in link below.

 

[Bill Koonce]

How many AC Watts or VA does the nebulizer consume? It should be marked on a panel or sticker somewhere.



I'm guessing that you're using a readily available "simulated sine wave" inverter that actually puts out a crude, squared-off waveform. These inexpensive inverters are OK for powering computers and anything that uses a switch-mode power supply. These things are not compatible with some types of battery chargers (cellphones & other personal devices mostly) and MOTORS.



I'll bet that the nebulizer mainly powers a motor, and thus you're having problems because the waveform that your inverter is sending it is wasting the motor instead of powering it efficiently.



My advice is to invest in a true sine wave inverter. Northern Tool carries some very good and affordable Sunforce brand pure sine inverters. I own two 650W units, and have been very happy with them.



A good inverter can be as much as 95% efficient, so if you're careful to limit your load to 200 Watts (AC), you can get away with plugging a larger capacity inverter into a cigarette lighter. By far the best option is to run the heaviest gauge wire straight from the battery. 4 AWG is good for runs up to 10' but 2 AWG would be better. Remember to use automotive cable, not welding cable! Welding cable is designed to be flexible, and has many tiny wires inside the insulation. This is great for welding, but not for your ST; all those little wires break easily, and the more that break, the less power it can carry. Automotive cable has fewer, stronger wires, which makes it stiffer, which is no problem once installed.



When I take my inverters on the road, I carry a deep cycle AGM battery inside the cab to power the inverter separate of the car's electrical system. AGM batteries will not leak acid, so they're fairly safe to use as long as you can secure it well enough. A small portable AGM battery charger tops off the deep cycle battery overnight.